Automatic railroad-crossing



D. LEE, Jr. AUTOMATIC RAILROAD CROSSING.

(No Mndel.)

Patented Apr 1 N. PETERS. PholwLMognpber. Wilhingm EC V UNITED STATEs PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID LEE, JR, OF BIRMINGHAM, ASSIGNOR OF ONEHALF TO 0. A. GUNN, v

OF FORT DEPOSIT, ALABAMA.

AUTOMATIC RAILROAD-CROSSING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 256,437, dated April 11, 1882.

Application filed February 14. 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DJLEE, Jr., of Birmingham, in the county of Jefferson and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad-Crossings; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,

which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in automatic railroad-crossings; and it consists in the combination of a pair of crossing-rails 1 which are connected rigidly together and which turn upon a' pivot, so that when the wheels of an advancing train strike the lever which extends up above the top of one of the rails of the permanent track the crossing-rails will be turned upon their center, so as to shift their ends from one permanent track to the other, as will be more fully described hereinafter.

The object of my invention is to provide an 2 5 automatic crossing, so that each train will adjust the crossing-rails, if not properly set, and

thus dispense with a man at the crossing to adjust the crossing-rails.

Figure l is a plan view of my invention.

0 Fig. 2 is side elevation of the same.

AB represent the rails of the two permanent tracks, one of which crosses the other. The crossingO is composed of two short rails, which are rigidly connected together by the two end 5 bars, D, and the central bar, E, up through the center of which bar E passes the pivot upon which the crossing turns. This central bar, E, has both ofits ends rigidly secured to the rails. Passing longitudinally through between these 40 two crossing-rails G is the connecting-rod H, and the crossing-rails are connected to this rod H by means of the two rods I, which are pivoted at their outer ends to the stops G and at their inner ones to the rod H. Any endwise movement of the connecting-rod H through its two guides or keepers J is at once transferred to the two stops G Gr, which are rigidly fastened to one of the rails, and the movement of these stops acts upon the cross-bar-E, so as to cause the two crossing-rails to turn upon their pivot V.

Each of the ends of the connecting-rods H is jointed in any suitable manner in a slot, L, which is made through the two levers N, which arepivotedataandwhicharemadelongenough to extend beyond the sides of both permanent tracks. Both of these levers are pivoted upon suitable bearin gs, and have connected to each of their ends, by means of a suitable connectingrod,O,asuitablepivotedlever,P,whichisauto- 6o maticallymadetoextendabovetheinsideoroutsidetopot'oneoftherailsofoneofthepermanent tracks, so that the wheels of the advancing car will strike against it, and thus cause the crossing-rails to shift. There are four of these levers P, and they are made to extend above the same track in pairs, so that while two of the levers are raised above one track, and in such close contact to its side that they are sure two levers are depressed below the level of the other track, so as not to be touched by the passing train. When the crossing-rails are turned so as to connect with one of the tracks the two pivoted levers P, which are placed'7 5 upon opposite sides of the switch-rails, are depressed, while the two levers which extend above the rails of the other track, with which the crossing-rails do not connect, are raised upward, so that a train coming from either direction is sure to strike one of them, and thus instantly shift the crossing so as to connect with the track uponwhich the train is advancing. The act of forcing down the pivoted levers P, which were raised upward, causes the levers upon the other track, and which were depressed, to immediately rise upward by the shifting of the long slotted levers, so that no train can possibly advance from either direction upon that track \vithoutfirst automatically shiftin g the crossing-rails.

. The bearings for the levers P may be made as here shown, or in any other way that may be preferred.

Having thus described my invention, I 5 clai1n 1. In an automatic crossing, the combination of the crossing-rails 0, connected together as shown, the stops G, the connecting-rods I,

pivoted thereto, the bar E, the endwise-moving connecting-rod, the slotted pivoted levers,

and the pivoted levers P, which extend above 5 the track, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of the pivoted slotted levers N, the levers P, which extend above the tops of the tracks in pairs, so as to be struck by the wheels of the advancing car, connect- 1o ing-rod H for unitingthe two levers together,

suitable devices for connecting the crossingrail to rod H, and the crossing-rails, the parts being arranged and combined to operate substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature 15 in presence of two witnesses.

DAVID LEE, JR. Vit'nesses:

W. L. SIVLEY, WALTER WIGGINS. 

